Just made Lyns some toast with my mom's strawberry jam
About to study for tomorrow's small group
Romans 7:13-25
13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Jacob's Verse 13 Paraphrase
Did I become spiritually dead because of the law? No way! It was actually sin that caused me to die spiritually. But sin had to have its true identity shown. If no one revealed to sin what it was, then no one would know. This is what the good law did. Because of this, sin is known by all to be despicable--and it truly is.
This makes me think of the fact that some people don't call sin what it is. We like to say that abortion and homosexuality are "viable choices" instead of calling them sin. I like to justify being deceitful instead of calling that a lie--sin. It's the effect of not having the word of God as a standard. If it isn't, then the standard becomes the common practice. And when humans make up the law of common practice, it will continually get worse and worse. Always deteriorating.
It's not that sin wasn't so before the law. This passage implies that sin is intrinsic. Despite what someone knows, despite their experiences, sin exists in that person.
Jacob's Verse 16 Paraphrase
If I try to do good things, then I am literally attesting to the fact that the law is good. Because if I am trying to do "good" and that action is in line with the law, then I am equating "good" with the law. So my attempts to be good are really a testimony to the goodness of the law.
In reality though (as verse 15 attests), when I try to do good things, I'm not doing the things I naturally want to do. I am doing things that go against my nature--things I hate to do.
There is a huge battle going on inside of every believer. On one hand, we know the law of God in our minds, and we long to follow it. On the other, our flesh is crying out to be satisfied, and it is our natural desire to do so.
I think this passage needs some more attention to it. I'll focus on 21-25 tomorrow or Monday.
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